Israel knew about Hamas' attack plan more than a year ago

Hamas gunmen seize Israeli military vehicles after infiltrating southern areas of Israel during an attack on October 7 (Photo: Reuters).

The document does not specify a date for the attack, but it details a coordinated attack that allowed Hamas to breach the security fence around the Gaza Strip, take control of Israeli cities and overrun key military bases.

According to the plan, Hamas would open the battle with a series of rockets to push Israeli soldiers into bunkers, use UAVs to disable security cameras and automatic machine gun emplacements, then send troops into Israel by paraglider and motorbike... All of this would take place on October 7.

The plan also includes details about the location and size of Israeli military forces, communications centers and other sensitive information, raising questions about how Hamas gathers intelligence and about the level of secrecy within Israel's security apparatus.

Documents obtained by The New York Times , along with statements from several officials, show that Israeli military and intelligence leaders were aware of Hamas’s plans. But experts said at the time that an attack on the scale envisioned would be beyond Hamas’ capabilities.

It is not clear whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other Israeli leaders have seen the above battle plan.

The New York Times retraced Israel's response after obtaining the battle plan through emails, other documents and interviews with sources familiar with the matter.

Last year, shortly after obtaining Hamas's battle plan, officials in the Israeli army's Gaza division, the unit responsible for protecting the border with Gaza, said Hamas' intentions were unclear.

“It remains to be determined whether the plan has been fully accepted and how it will be implemented,” a military assessment said.

Security fence vandalized in Kfar Azza village, Israel (Photo: New York Times).

In July, just three months before the October 7 attack, a veteran analyst with Unit 8200, Israel's intelligence agency, warned that Hamas had conducted a daylong, high-intensity military exercise that appeared to be in line with the plan.

But a colonel in the Gaza division dismissed the female analyst's concerns, according to encrypted emails seen by The New York Times .

In response, the analyst wrote: "I completely reject the notion that this scenario is just a fantasy" because the Hamas exercise is completely consistent with "the content of the Jericho Wall".

“It was a plan designed to launch a war,” the analyst said. “It was not just a raid on a village.”

Officials have not said how they obtained the plans for the Walls of Jericho. They say their boldness makes them easy to underestimate.

Every army writes plans it never uses, and Israeli officials say that even if Hamas attacked, it could only muster a few dozen, not the hundreds of fighters who attacked on October 7.

Israeli officials admit behind the scenes that, had their military taken these warnings seriously and moved large reinforcements south, Israel could have softened the blow or even stopped the attack.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/israel-biet-ke-hoach-tan-cong-cua-hamas-tu-hon-1-nam-truoc-20231201113628491.htm